(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anti-roll system for vehicles that enables the easy design of a suspension system and that limits the amount of noise generated.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Vehicles undergo some degree of rolling during cornering and other turning maneuvers, and as a result of an uneven road surface. Accordingly, an apparatus is provided for minimizing rolling.
FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a conventional stabilizer. Reference numeral 100 indicates the stabilizer. The stabilizer 100 is applied to an independent suspension system such as a wishbone or Macpherson-type suspension system. The stabilizer 100 acts as a torsion bar spring that maintains equilibrium of the vehicle during rolling movements of the same.
With reference to FIG. 6, a middle portion of the stabilizer 100 is pivotally fixed to a vehicle body, and each connector 104 at ends of bent portions 102 provided on opposing ends of the stabilizer 100 is connected to a lower control arm 108 of a suspension system or to a middle portion of a strut assembly 110 with a connecting link 106 interposed therebetween. With this configuration, when left and right wheels undergo simultaneous ascending and descending motions, the stabilizer 100 performs no function. However, when only one of the wheels either ascends or descends, the stabilizer 100 undergoes a twisting movement and a resulting elasticity of torsion acts to reduce rolling of the vehicle.
Although the conventional stabilizer as described above is an effective apparatus in minimizing rolling, a substantial amount of space is utilized by the stabilizer to perform its operation. As a result, difficulties arise in the designing of the suspension system. Also, during the operation of the stabilizer, a great amount of noise is generated by a rubber bushing used in mounting the stabilizer to the vehicle body or lower control arm.
The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an anti-roll system for vehicles that enables the easy design of a suspension system and that limits the amount of noise generated.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an anti-roll system for vehicles comprising first and second hinge shafts mounted in connectors, which connect left and right lower control arms to a vehicle body, the first and second hinge shafts rotating as the left and right lower control arms respectively undergo movement, and when one of the hinge shafts is rotated in one direction, the other is rotated in the opposite direction.
According to a feature of the present invention, first and second drive gears are mounted on a central portion of first and second hinge shafts, respectively; a second rotating axis is provided at a predetermined distance from the second hinge shaft and substantially parallel to the same; a second driven gear meshed with the second drive gear is formed at one end of the second rotating axis; a first rotating axis is provided at a predetermined distance from the first hinge shaft and substantially parallel to the same; a first driven gear is formed at one end of the first rotating axis; an idling gear is interposed between and meshed with the first drive gear and the first driven gear; first and second pinion gears are provided at the other ends of the first and second rotating axes, respectively; the first and second pinion gears are meshed with first and second racks, respectively, the first and second racks being interconnected via a cable; and a tension of the cable is adjusted by cable tension control means.
According to another feature of the present invention, a screw rod of a predetermined length is integrally formed to an end of the cable adjacent to the second rack with a stopper interposed therebetween, the screw rod being inserted in the second rack; a first washer is provided flush to one end of the second rack and a first nut is screwed onto the screw rod until tightly contacting the first washer; and a second washer is provided to the other end of the second rack and a second nut is screwed onto the screw rod until tightly contacting the second washer, thereby enabling the tension of the cable to be controlled by adjusting the nuts.